JoBlo talks to Nathan Fillion on White Noise 2
Given the subject matter, has this role been very demanding on you?
(Jokingly) Absolutely! No, no, no. I say it everyday, of all the jobs I’ve had, this is the least demanding. I have next to no dialogue. There’s a lot of brooding, there’s a lot of moping, there’s a lot of confusion, frustration dawning, lots of dawning. This is actually something I’ve learned in the soap operas, we used to do this all the time. In a soap opera you’ll have a scene, with two characters, at the end of the scene there’s a slow close up on one of the characters, right? What are they gonna say next? And it’s always kind of a long, drawn out close and seems to never end and you’re left there, kind of (smiles) acting. So what we used to do, was we called it “the three phases of a soap take”, it works for any scene, any show, whatever your doing. And these are the phases - first phase is “Did I leave the stove on?” (he gives a questioning look), next phase, “I did leave the stove on!” (the look changes to a subtle acknowledgement), third phase, “No, I turned the stove off!” (then a look of both combined).
I read that you had a near death experience yourself. How much did that affect you during the making of this film?
Little to none. I try to leave that in my past. If I try to take anything from that experience, it’s the desire to extract revenge on all my friends, who (jokingly) were watching me die! I’m waving to them with both hands in the air, as I’m getting pulled into the undertow in Costa Rica and they’re on the beach and they look back at me and give a good bye wave and turn their back on me. (Jokingly) Since when is this (waving both arms in the air) hello, from the water, from churning water? (Laughs) Oh my god, it’s absolutely true! And then my friend, he mailed me a letter that said “Hey I just read an article said you’re still sore about that!”
So what are you preparing to shoot today?
Actually, I had a list, I’ve always had a list of things I wanted to do on TV. I kind of came up with it with another friend of mine when we were doing the soap opera and I wanted to shoot a gun, get shot and ride a horse. In the Firefly pilot I got to shoot a gun, get shot, ride a horse and then shoot a horse. So that one picture kind of took care of everything, so I had to kind of come up with a new list. So when I’m watching TV, I’m watching films, I always trying to say “Oh, that’s something I want to do on film” and today was one of them. (Jokingly) Where the camera’s over my shoulder and I’m writing, you know, I’m showing everyone my penmanship.
With the film itself being so somber, was there any outlet for your sense of humor?
There’s a really funny bit, really quick, tiny little thing. They made a little homage to Captain Reynolds actually and if you blink you’ll miss it.
Are you more famous in Canada then America?
Yes. Yes and Canadians have a really particular way about showing they’re excited. In the states I get a lot of “Hey, that’s that dude on TV!” right behind me in the bank. I mean, you didn’t just say it, I know you want my attention, but it’s certainly not designed to make me comfortable. I can hear you, I can hear you, I know you know I can hear you. But there’s nothing you can say or do, you can’t make anybody smarter or smarten up. In Canada, I’ll walk down the street and you’ll see that dawning as you walk past them and they might come up and say “Excuse me sir, I just want to say, I know who you are and I don’t want to get crazy about it or anything, but we really enjoyed Firefly, my wife and I watch it every night and we also thank you for SERENITY.” And they’re so extremely pleasant and sincere. They keep a respectable distance, they don’t want to come too close, whereas I remember in New York, “Hey, kiss my sister, kiss my sister!” That’s not for me. “What are you, an asshole?” Yes, I’m an asshole. So it’s different, yeah, I’m definitely more famous in Vancouver.
Both you and your co-star Katee Sackhoff come from a television background, you guys sharing a lot of war stories?
We can share because we both have the experience of the sci-fi conventions. Her experience is a little different, I think it’s always gonna be different for girls. And as wonderful as fans can be, sometimes, you know, one in a hundred is gonna be creepy. And it’s always gonna be creepier for the girls, I think.
In a sci-fi hypothetical, if Malcolm Reynolds were to fight Starbuck, who would win?
Well, I would think Starbuck would try to do the right thing and fight honorably and I think Malcolm Reynolds would fight dirty and cheat, he’d probably hit her when she wasn’t looking. Cause Malcolm Reynolds isn’t above hitting a woman, he’s not above that, that’s something I like about him. What I truly appreciate and I try to remind Katee of all the time, is that I outrank her. Captain, Captain Reynolds.
There’s been rumors that NBC, Universal and Sci-Fi Channel were planning to do a sequel of sorts to SERENITY, it would basically broadcast premiere on the Sci-Fi Channel, have you heard anything like that?
This is the first I’ve heard of that. I remember the Sci-Fi Channel said no. I believe their reaction was, when we got canceled by Fox we approached them to pick up the show and if I’m not mistaken, their response was “It’s too sci-fi.” But as far as SERENITY goes, all I wanted with Firefly was another crack at it. When it was taken away, it really hurt, I really felt it. I wanted another crack and I wanted SERENITY to be really good. I got those things; I got everything I wanted out of SERENITY. Would I want to do sequels? Yes. Do I feel like a shit for asking for more, after I’ve gotten everything I’ve ever wanted? Yeah, I feel kind of crappy asking for more. But I’m quite happy with the way things have turned out. Would I do a sequel? Yes. Do I demand it? No.
Someone recently posted a topic on the message boards for IMDB.com for WHITE NOISE 2, under the heading of “Who’s gonna see the film for Nathan Fillion?” I would say that 99.9% of the comments were all positive, including a guy who stated that he may not like the film itself, may even hate it, but he would even go see GIGLI 2 if you were in it. (Fillion laughs, hard) How does that make you feel coming up as an actor and now hitting your stride?
That makes me feel really good. Here’s the fortunate part - I’ve had you know, the experience to have a couple of cool projects in a row, where I can play, quite frankly, the coolest characters I’ve ever played in really extraordinary circumstances. So, I mean, I’ve had a great deal of fun, I enjoy it immensely. If people enjoy watching it half as much as I enjoy doing it, we’re on the right track. Make’s me feel good, make.
- Full Interview: [may contain spoilers]
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